VisitScotland Welcomes Rise in Visitor Figures and Spend

The half year statistics show that Scottish tourism is going from strength to strength for many businesses, after what has unquestionably been a tough period for many operators. With spend and visits up, the future looks bright ahead of the country’s biggest ever year.

“We’ve been working hard to promote Scotland as a world-leading natural destination, throughout the Year of Natural Scotland – and I’m particularly delighted that people here at home have taken the chance to see our wonderful country for themselves with visits up by 2 per cent on the same time last year.

“But the hard work isn’t over yet. As the Queen’s Baton prepares to leave our shores today, our teams will be heading out to India, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, speaking with tour operators and media with the aim of building exposure for the country, not just for 2014 but beyond that too.

“Shortly we will welcome the world to our shores with the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup and Homecoming. We must keep up the momentum that has been achieved already in 2013, building on these strong visitor numbers, increasing expenditure and ensuring that we remain resilient in an uncertain global economic climate.”

Scotland is set to welcome the world in 2014 with three momentous events: the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the year-long Homecoming 2014 celebrations and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.